Yes, the government has no business monitoring its own citizens.

Yes, there is absolutely no reason for the government to be performing mass surveillance on its own population. Considering how they handle most of this data and their ineptness at securing against security breaches, I have no faith in them to keep my private information safe. They do not like it when we monitor them, why is it okay for them to monitor us?

Yes, we need to be aware of what our elected officials are doing.

A democracy is a government of the people, by the people, for the people. For a representative democracy to function, there needs to be transparency. If we don't know the details of what our elected officials are doing, then it's hard to make a decision on who to vote for. It doesn't seem right that politicians can make decisions on behalf of the entire country, but keep them secret from the public. I understand the national security concerns of leaking classified information, but I think that, overall, Edward Snowden's actions are commendable.

Edward Snowden did not perform a public service

Edward Snowden did not perform a public service by leaking classified information. Leaders need the freedom to discuss ideas freely. Furthermore, he should have gone to his superiors if he felt information was being used improperly. It created a national embarrassment and caused unnecessary tension with other countries. He should be tried for treason.

Snowden is a traitor.

No, Edward Snowden did not perform a public service by leaking classified information. Instead, he put our country at risk by putting this information out there for everyone to see. I do not think that he is brave---I think that he is a coward who did anything possible to gain notoriety.